Saving Our World for Tomorrow: A 21st Century Approach to Politics and Sustainable Development (Part 2 of 4)

Brent Densmore returns for Part 2 of his series on sustainable development in the 21st century. Today on the agenda are some of examples of how and how not to sustain growth with a specific emphasis on the intelligent management and consumption of natural resources during this process. Brent picks up from last week discussing the complications that arise in company compliance with environmental regulations.

One idea to ensure companies comply with new regulations would be to implement a government organization similar to that of the International Organization for Standardization. This new organization would compile a list of criteria that a corporation must adhere to in order to gain certification.

Once certified, the corporation would advertise that they are officially environmentally friendly and use it as a marketing tool. At the same time, the government would provide customers with a refund on products that are purchased from these companies.

This new system should provide enough motivation for corporations to adopt these practices because customers would be more likely to buy their products if they were to receive a refund.
When President Obama discusses green energy, jobs and technologies, he is referring to renewable resources and the many opportunities they would provide. Unlike past American Presidents, Obama has accepted that not only is his country addicted to fossil fuels but so is the rest of the world.

Harry Longwell states that “oil and gas consumption is essential to sustaining growth in the industrialized world and is key to progress in nations working their way towards prosperity” (Longwell, Harry. “The future of the oil and gas industry: past approaches, new challenges.” World Energy 5.3 (2002) 101).

This poses two problems: One, fossil fuels are the main contributor to global warming and two, oil is not a sustainable resource. A perfect example that these two problems have presented can be seen in China.

Elizabeth Economy summarizes this problem when she states that:
“ China’s rapid development, often touted as an economic miracle, has become an environmental disaster. Record growth necessarily requires the gargantuan consumption of resources, but in China energy use has been especially unclean and inefficient, with dire consequences for the country’s air, land and water” (Economy, Elizabeth. “The great leap backward?” Foreign Affairs 86.5 (2007) P. 49).

If our current and future economic growth is dependant on fossil fuels, what does that mean for us in the future? China’s example should be a warning to both industrialized and developing nations that sacrificing the environment for the economy will only get you so far. Economy goes on to state that:

“Although China holds the fourth-largest freshwater resources in the world, skyrocketing demand, overuse, inefficiencies, pollution and unequal distribution have produced a situation in which two-thirds of China’s approximately 660 cities have less water than they need and 110 of them suffer from severe shortages” (Economy, 50).

As you can see from China’s unfortunate example, it is essential that we start the transition process of to moving away from fossil fuels as our main source of energy and begin investing in renewable resources. The two most popular sources of renewable energy today are wind and solar power. While neither wind nor solar power can provide enough energy to cut fossil fuel consumption, by say 50%, they can still provide enough power to significantly reduce our dependence on oil and help clean up our environment.

In order for this to happen, it will require government investment to perfect the technology. In addition, they must provide substantial tax credits for corporations and households that chose to install and use this energy.

In Canada, there is a program called “ecoENERGY retrofit” which aims to provide tax credits and refunds to those who utilize alternative energy (“Natural Resources Canada”). This is an excellent idea but requires greater funding and publicity.

In addition, Walter Rosenblaum outlines further problems that are restricting the expansion of renewable resources: “…payback periods are too long for the average homeowner. Workers skilled in the installation and maintenance of small solar systems are scarce. In most communities, building codes are more an obstacle than an encouragement to solar system installation” (Rosenblaum, Walter "Energy, politics and public policy." Washington: Congressional Quarterly Inc., 1981. P. 46.)

These three problems can easily be solved by nothing other than commitment. An investment in the technologies would encourage individuals to learn how to install these systems, especially in today’s tough economic times. Amending building codes takes nothing but a bit of time and should not even be an issue.

Check back next Friday at the 5pm EST for part 3 of 4, where Brent takes an even deeper look at strategies for reducing fossil fuel dependence and the role that the auto industry and suburban living plays in this.

Saving Our World for Tomorrow: A 21st Century Approach to Politics and Sustainable Development (Part 1 of 4)

This is the first in a series of 4 articles by Brent Densmore dealing with the current crisis facing the world as a result of 20th century over-expansion and unsustainable development. Today's article is an introduction to the series, a contextual look at some of the factors that have contributed to where we are today, as well as some of the challenges that we face in moving forward. Please check back at 5pm EST on each of the next four Fridays for the continuing story.

The collapse of the Berlin Will and the subsequent end to the Cold War reinforced the fact that capitalism and democracy were the dominant economic and political systems of the world. The spread of the free market economy and the rapid decrease in telecommunication infrastructure have resulted in an extensive global marketplace that is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Rich western nations, such as the United States and Great Britain, are no longer the economic super powers they once were. India, Japan and China, to name a few, now have the same access to markets and information as the rest of the world.

As a result, these nations are now able to compete with the historically rich nations, something many thought could never be done. It was only 30 years ago that wealth was virtually non-existent in these nations; today, their economies are growing at a rapid pace and their people are reaping the benefits. These nations however, are now consuming more food and water than ever and are demanding many of the same consumer products we have in here in Canada.

While it is a great that these new nations are now prospering, the world as a whole cannot sustain this new level of consumption; never before have our natural resources been depleted at such an alarming rate. There will be nothing left of our planet if we continue to live at this rate for the next 50 years.
(Editor's Note: a recent article from the BBC suggests that global resources will be depleted even faster, please see: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7951838.stm)

In order to fix this problem and right the ship for future generations, we must all begin to live a more sustainable way of life. It will take a collected effort to change our old habits, something that may be hard for many, but it must be done.

The first step to implementing a more sustainable way of life requires a change in government policies. Secondly, the use of renewable resources as legitimate energy sources must become a reality. Finally, there must be changes made to how our cities are being built. While this is by no means an inclusive list, these three ideas will build the crucial foundation of a more sustainable way of life.

The development of a more sustainable way of life will require everyone to make a diligent effort. This isn’t something that one person or country can accomplish on their own. In order to make sure that everyone is on the same page, it will require the leadership of all governments around the world. They must be committed to significant change and be willing to absorb public resentment for as with any other new idea, there will be a share of the public who opposes new ideas.

As mentioned previously, the first step in this process is for governments to change certain outdated policies and most importantly, enact new environmental legislation. Mark Lynas states “the environment is still seen as a soft-focus poor relation to the real hard-politics issues such as health, the economy and asylum-seekers and so on” (Lynas: “Bring in the police to save the planet.” New Statesmen 9 May 2005: 40). The era of growing GDP at the expense of the environment must come to an end. While there is no denying that these too are important issues, it is clearly time that the environment becomes part of this list.

During the recent United States presidential election, President Obama released an extensive list of environmental policies and ideas that he believed would help cure our addiction to an unsustainable way of life. Some of his ideas included “government investment in clean energy and green jobs, promotion of green technologies and fuel efficiency standards, protection of the Great Lakes and National Parks, and the promotion of inner-city recycling programs” (“Obama on the Environment”). While by no means is this an inclusive list, it is an excellent start and it is a relief to see that the President of the United States has aspirations to fix this problem.

The most important ideas Obama lists relate to the promotion and investment in clean energy, technologies and jobs. If the government doesn’t promote or invest in these ideas then who will? In today’s competitive global market, corporations will require a long-term commitment from their governments on these issues. They won’t be willing to radically modify their factories, offices and practices unless everyone else is following suit. From their viewpoint, why would they? Aside from a few exceptions, no corporation will sacrifice their profits and reduce shareholder value while their competitors stand pat and face no punishments. Therefore, not only will there be a requirement for new policies to be enacted but there also must reward-based system in order to encourage speedy compliance.

Brent Densmore

Next week Brent will discuss and break-down some of the political changes that have the potential to revolutionize the way the environment is treated within politics, as well as a look a the some of the international issues that pose a challenge in solving this crisis.

A Size Twelve Double Standard

The recent copycat shoe-throwing incident at Cambridge University and the subsequent reaction from Chinese authourities has many wondering when the shoe is going to drop on these projectile protests.

A report in the Toronto Star discusses how back in December when it was George Bush doing the dodging it was all fun and games. Now that Chinese Premier Wen Jinbao is the sole victim it is “a despicable act.”

Ultimately one has to ask the question, what would we think as Canadians if someone was to chuck a loafer or two at Stephen Harper? For some reason outrage is not the first word that comes to mind. I would suggest that even hardcore Conservatives could probably see the humour in a Canadian edition of the political shoe-toss (Especially after the recent liberalizing of the budget). In all seriousness however, something needs to be done about the aim-deficiency of these shoe flingers before moving onto such targets as Harper. I’m not suggesting they should actually hit Harper with the shoe (heaven forbid it should disturb his almost sacred coiffure), but the shoe should at least make him dance a little bit. Maybe that would help him loosen up for a change and shake the starch out of his suit.

But I digress…My actual reaction to this incident was more one of *yawn, that’s so 2008.

The truth is that if you want to make a point you shouldn’t steal ideas from others, especially when you have a rubber arm like this guy did. (you can get a first hand look at where the shoe landed in relation to the Premier here:


I guess my intention here is to have a little bit of fun, but there are reasons behind every protest, even the comical ones. China’s human rights record and history of cover-ups and control is no laughing matter. I have no doubt that this protestor was entirely serious in his protest as you can hear him yell out calling the Premier a dictator and subsequently saying “Shame on you!” in response to the Premier saying the same towards him. Unfortunately this particular protest will not likely bring much attention to the issues at hand but instead be seen as a feeble copycat to the Bush event in December.

In any case, I think it can safely be said that the era of shoe-throwing, at least outside of kindergarten classes, should be given the boot.

Will Grassby